Field Trips

Philosophy

At Prairie Creek, we see the community as our classroom. Teachers regularly bring experts in to talk with students and deepen their understanding of a subject. Trips beyond the school's walls are a part of the learning in almost every theme. In the 21st century, the paradigm of the teacher sitting in her classroom, transferring all knowledge to her students, is no longer valid. Successful students must learn how to pursue knowledge in a wide variety of settings. The teachers at Prairie Creek share an abiding, and contagious, commitment to real learning in the real world.

In Action

For a building engineering theme, students visited multiple buildings in Minneapolis and walked over the very bridges they had studied in class. A farm-to-table theme found kids harvesting vegetables at a local farm, researching the growing process, and then using those vegetables to create a meal they shared with the community. On any given day, you're likely to find one of our classes on a walking field trip—excursions known in Prairie Creek parlance as rambles—using our campus as a classroom or finding opportunities in the little town of Castle Rock to extend our studies.